Bio-reductive synthesis of silver nanoparticles from Tradescantia pallida exhibiting bioactivity and anti-MDA-MB-231 potential

There is a burgeoning need for natural or targeted alternatives to conventional synthetic breast cancer treatments. In this study, we synthesized bio-based silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Tradescantia pallida (TP) extract, which acted as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. The formation of nanosized AgNPs was verified by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR), exhibiting a characteristic UV absorption peak at 438 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed a face-centred cubic crystallite structure and the average particle size of 91.1 nm with a zeta stability of −35.7 mV, indicating good colloidal stability. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited strong antioxidant activity, demonstrated by their high scavenging of DPPH free radicals and high ferric reducing power. Additionally, they also exhibited notable antimicrobial effects against Gram-positive ( Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus ), Gram-negative ( Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae ) bacteria as well as the fungus Candida albicans. Furthermore, the Tradescantia pallida- mediated AgNPs displayed excellent anticancer activity against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, with an IC 50 value of 43.36 µg/mL. These findings indicate that the synthesized AgNPs hold promising potential as therapeutic agent in cancer treatment.